Heaven & Hell
by mrs.salvatore39
Summary: set after S2 finale. what will Elena do, faced with a shirtless, demanding Damon that's tired of walking on eggshells around her in his own house? and will damon finally be able to get out of her what he's been waiting for? bittersweet lemon


_a/n: it has been far too long since I have written, and though Damon has never left my thoughts, I've found myself unable to find time to sit down and enjoy him properly. I wanted to give a new story the proper dedicated time, and then this idea came to my mind. After all who doesn't appreciate the image of a sweaty, shirtless Damon working in the sun ;) happy reading!_

_ p.s. as always I'm eager for your requests and ideas! _

Elena woke up when the sun shone through the window and hit her eyes. She was always surprised at how bright the Salvatore boarding house was in the morning. Growing up she'd learned to accept that vampires shied away from sunlight, but Damon and Stefan's nifty rings had changed all that for her. In fact, a lot of the things she had grown up believing in her childhood had been blown out of the water by the Salvatore brothers.  
>Throwing off the blankets, she sat up and stretched, looking around the room that had been hers for the past few weeks. Her home was full of too many memories of her parents, and now Aunt Jenna. It was all just too painful, and Damon had offered, perhaps a little too eagerly for her to stay with him. She'd been a little too eager to agree...<br>The past few weeks alone with him in the house hadn't held nearly as many uncomfortable moments as she'd expected. There was a certain amount of tension, but it wasn't the kind that made her want to hide in her room. It was the kind that forced her to consider jumping into his bed. She'd been careful to choose the room furthest from his to help her resist any temptation that could threaten to take her over.  
>Throwing on a pair of jean shorts and a tank-top, she went down the hall, hesitating at his door. She listened closely, but couldn't hear his breathing or any signs that he was there. Poking her head in the room confirmed it, for all she saw was his bed neatly made and a flat screen tv above the fireplace. The last time she'd been in the room, she'd been too worried about him to take any of the surroundings in. Curiosity took over and she pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside.<br>The scent of his cologne was everywhere and she could tell from the humidity in the air he'd recently had a shower. She could remember coming into this room before and finding him shirtless, remember when he'd forced his blood into her system to keep her safe. Remembered when she'd kissed him and he'd told her he loved her. Surprisingly, since then he'd tried to keep his distance and not press his luck. She'd noticed the longing, interested looks he couldn't control but as for forcing her to be with him, he'd made no moves.

The distant had confused her, but she'd been thankful for it in the first few days. Waking with Jenna and Stefan's disappearance had all been too much. He'd probably sensed that and knew it was best to give her time. There was a dog eared, worn out book sitting next to his bed. The words were in Latin, but it was apparent he'd read it many times. Rows of black hung in his closet and shiny shoes sat in pairs on the floor. She'd never seen a boy's room so neat and clean. It was almost refreshing, but she knew she would have to be careful not to touch anything. He would surely notice anything out of place right away.  
>She went over to the window and looked out, finding him almost immediately on the grounds. He was pushing the mower around at human speed. If he'd put a shirt on this morning, it had long since been shed. She found it odd for him to be doing something so normal, and especially at a much slower rate than he could have done it. He grounds of the boarding house were extensive, and no doubt the morning sun was warm enough to tire him out somewhat. She watched him stand straight and stretch his arms above his head. The muscles in his back rolled as he moved. She could see the thin sheen of sweat over his body.<br>She ignored the thoughts of lust he ran through her mind, resisted the primal urge to lick her lips, but she did press closer to the window, jumping back when it creaked open. There was no way his super human ears hadn't heard that. Crouching on the floor out of sight she held her breath, wondering if he had seen her. After a minute she heard the lawnmower engine start up again, and when she found the guts to peek, she saw that he had gone back to work. Her heart steadied a little and she carefully pulled the window closed. The tension she'd been trying to ignore was getting harder and harder to do so.  
>She needed an excuse to go out there, to be close to him. And it had to be one that was completely innocent and not at all obvious. Going down to the kitchen, she decided just what to do, extremely glad that vampires could not read minds. Taking a glass from the cupboard she allowed herself a moment to fantasize, thinking about how he had looked under the sun, his skin almost appeared tan from the glow. She filled it with ice, then cold water unable to help imaging how his muscles would feel beneath her fingers as they moved from the strain of making love to her.<br>She shook her head, angry at herself for the thought. Sure, she hadn't had sex for quite a while, but that didn't give her the right to think about her boyfriend's brother...not that she could truly consider Stefan her boyfriend anymore. Now that he had allowed the bloodlust take over, who knew what he was feeding on, or whom? Was she not entitled to a little freedom when there was a very real chance Stefan couldn't even remember her name?  
>Taking a deep breath and straightening her shoulders, she walked out the kitchen door to the backyard. The morning sun was warm on her face and she tilted her head back to it, not noticing the hungry eyes that were following her every movement.<p>

Damon had seen Elena in the window, he'd sensed someone watching him, and decided it was her within in a moment. He'd listened to the increase in her heart beats and had hardly been able control the urge to rush into the house and take her. He'd been doing his best to keep his distance from her, from doing something that she would regret before she was ready. Ignoring the fact that sometimes he snuck into her room and watched her sleep, he thought he'd been doing pretty well.

Lately though, he'd taken to waking up early and keeping himself busy so that he wouldn't be tempted to do anything rash. Now she was here though, right in front of him, her head tilted up to the sun as if she was displaying herself for his eyes. Her hair had fallen back from her, letting the sun warm her shoulders and neck. He ignored the mouth watering sensation the look of her created and forced his fangs to stay in place. She was arousing to both the man and vampire inside him, and she was barely doing anything at all.

That was perhaps the most frustrating thing about her, she was unbelievably sexy, and yet she had no idea. In some ways it was refreshing, Katherine had always been very aware of how tantalizing she could be, and she used it to her every advantage. Elena, was innocent about her sensuality, and somehow that made her all the more tempting. He liked the look of her in the early morning light, and wondered how she would look against his pillows, the same light falling across her face in beams from the window.

Her movement as she stood straight pulled him from the thought and he tried to paste a welcoming, almost disinterested smile on his face. No doubt hunger was clouding his eyes, but he hoped that she wouldn't notice it. He shaded his eyes with his hand as she came closer, glancing at the glass in her hand for the first time. It was sweating, drops of water falling down her wrist. When he reached for it, their fingertips connected, and he couldn't help but to relish in the feel of her skin, no matter how quick and innocent it was.

They'd been careful not to touch at all in the past few weeks. Barely even stayed in the same room with each other, and when they were every step was double thought to make sure they wouldn't brush against each other in the kitchen or when he helped her into the car. Now, here she was, obviously trying to get his attention, and he wasn't going to resist it. Hell, he would encourage it if she would give him the chance. He let his fingers rest against hers a moment longer than he needed to, letting their eyes connect, trying to read hers for any clues as to what she was up to.

"Thank you for this." He said, breaking all contact to gulp the drink. "I didn't realize how much I needed it until now."

"I wasn't sure if you would get thirsty out here, being dead and all, but I figured it was a nice gesture." She smiled and took back the empty glass, looking anywhere but at him. Admiring him from afar had been nice, but now that he was so close she couldn't stand the intensity between them.

Stepping back from her, disguising the smirk, he leaned against the lawnmower and crossed his arms. "You know, I came out here to do this so I wouldn't run into you, yet here you are. Invading my space and time, just as I was trying to avoid doing to you." He hadn't meant it to come out teasingly, but it had. The fire in her eyes threw him a little, but he held his ground.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your alone time. I just thought you would like some company out here." With that she turned and began walking away, feeling foolish for being so hurt by his words. She wasn't sure why she was so upset, she didn't even know what she'd really wanted him to say anyway. It just wasn't that.

"Are you going back upstairs to watch me through the window again?" he called, stopping her in her tracks.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She answered, keeping her back straight, her body perfectly still.

"Sure you don't Elena." His voice sounded closer now, but she refused to turn around. He was right behind her, she could practically feel the heat of the sun on his skin radiating off onto her. "What do you say we cut the crap and be straight with each other?"

When she didn't turn around, he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to face him. "Let me go." She glared, trying to fight him off but failing. "Dammit, Damon. I said let me go."

"No, I've been resisting touching you for too long. I won't spend another minute tiptoeing around you like you're some fragile doll. I won't spend another night sitting at the end of your bed, hoping that you will wake up. It's time we sorted all this out."

"All what out?"

"The obvious feelings we have for each other. I came to terms with it and told you how I feel. You never really gave me an answer back."

"I don't have the answer that you want." Her voice lost its volume and she looked down at the ground, the fight slipping out of her body. She knew what he wanted to hear, but she wasn't sure she was ready to give it to him.

"I'm not saying that I want you to marry me, or spend the rest of your life with me Elena, but I do think you at least owe it to yourself to admit your feelings. All this back and forth has done no good for me, and I can only imagine what it is doing to you. Apparently, Stefan isn't coming back, at least not any time soon…what is wrong with us trying to find our own happiness?"

"I don't want to be with you." She said, her voice shaking more than she would have liked. This was not how she'd planned for their conversation to end up. She hadn't really had much of a plan, but she'd thought it would be nice to just sit outside with him and talk, not have him pester her about her deepest emotions. "I'm sorry Damon, but you are going to have to learn to accept that."

"No." he shook his head and gripped her tighter. "You're lying to yourself Elena. You have been for over a year now. Whether you want to realize it or not, you are in love with me and that scares the hell out of you. I'm sure you're afraid of turning into Katherine because you love us both, but I promise that could never happen. The fact that you are so afraid of your feelings for me proves that."

"I won't listen to this!" she pushed her fists into his bare chest, forgetting for a moment that he was shirtless. When her knuckles touched his bare, sweat glazed skin she felt herself loosing focus. She no longer had the adrenaline of fear and frustration coursing through her veins. There was no fight or flight response telling her to run now, only the overwhelming need to be closer to him. To feel more of him. She felt as if she was going crazy. "Damon, please. Don't do this to me."

"I'm not doing anything to you Elena." He released her shoulders, holding his hands a few inches from her to prove it. "You are free to go if you wish, but I'm sure after a moment you will realize that you don't want to."

She looked up into his eyes, wondering if it was possible for him to compel her without eye contact. Then she felt her fists unclench, and her hands flatten against his chest. She was surprised at how warm he felt, and with the sun heating more as the minutes ticked by, she could tell that this summer day was going to be a hot one. She wasn't sure which one of them took the first step toward the other, but she was pretty sure that it was her. She just had to be closer to him, to test out the reaction.

She wanted the proximity to mean nothing to her. To have the scent of him, the feel of him mean nothing. She wanted to feel nothing, but instead she felt her want deepen and her need to touch him increase. She let her hands slide up his slick skin, up around his neck and into his hair. She wasn't sure what she was doing, because for once she wasn't thinking. She was just feeling, and it felt nice to let go and let herself just be. For weeks, months she'd been using her head too much. Damon had always been able to bring out this side in her, but she'd never fully let herself fall into it.

Now that she had, she wasn't sure if ever wanted to come out of it. "Damon, what have you done to me?" she whispered, letting his hair fall between her fingers.

"Woken you up." He answered simply. Tentatively letting his hands rest on her waist. "The same that you did for me. We need each other Elena, in time you will come to understand that. For now, just feel and let me take you somewhere you've never been before."

"I don't want to go anywhere right now." She said, letting her eyes trail over his body for the first time. The times she'd looked at him in the past had all been quick, almost unnoticeable glances, but now with no one around, she found herself extremely comfortable and free.

Then his hand pressed the small of her back and she was closer to him, her chest pressed to his. She could feel the dampness of his skin through her shirt and she wondered if there would be a logical enough excuse to take it off. "We won't even have to leave the yard if you don't want to." He said, letting his hand slip under her tank top, pressing it flat against her skin.

"I think I want to kiss you." She said, tilting her head back and letting her eyes close. "The last time we kissed, it was hardly what you could call romantic."

He chuckled a little and let his free hand cradle her face and neck. "I thought it was a pretty epic moment. At least for me."

"Epic and romantic are not the same." She whispered, putting pressure on the back of his neck with her fingers. When she felt him bend down to her level she was relieved. Surprisingly, there had been a part of her that wasn't sure if he would kiss her back.

At first their lips connected softly, almost barely touching. His mouth was smooth like velvet, and he tasted a little salty. Then both his hands were in her hair and he was crushing her closer to him, molding her body to his until she wasn't sure where her body ended and his began. They were a tangle of limbs and sighs, and they were only kissing. Her human body needed oxygen, and he sensed that, letting his kisses trail down her chin, over her neck and shoulder, pulling the straps down as he kissed lower.

Then all at once he felt himself backed into a tree, the rough bark scratching his bare skin. The contrast between that and the softness against his chest, in his arms was becoming too much for him. He'd imagined making love to Elena a dozen ways, not one of them had been under the sun in the backyard. He wasn't sure he could wait until they were upstairs though, or for night fall when he could build a roaring fire for her.

He'd imagined taking her in the back seat of his car more than once, and almost every morning he showered, he wondered what it would be like if she somehow found her way in there next to him. But now, with warmth beating down around them and no one to interrupt them, he felt oddly at peach. Well, parts of him anyway. As his body rivaled with his thoughts of gentleness he battled the vampire instincts inside him to simply tear her clothes from her body and taste everywhere. He thought he'd finally got a grip on himself when he felt her fingers brush against the skin above his belt.

The grumbled moan Elena heard from his lips almost shocked her, and perhaps would have made her stop had she not been lost in her own thoughts of the man wrapped around her. His lips were torturing her skin in ways she hadn't thought possible, his fingers tugging at her hair slightly and pressing into her waist as he fought for control. She hadn't expected it to be like this with Damon, all hurried and rushed, yet so passionate some moments that time seemed to stand still.

He was exactly the same at making love as he was in everyday life; confusing, frustrating and exhilarating. She felt the top of her tank roll down to reveal her breasts, and then his lips close over them as he kissed the newly exposed flesh. Her head dropped back and she dug her nails into his forearm, fighting to stay standing, but knowing that if she did fall he would catch her. Then her shirt was completely gone and she wasn't sure how he'd gotten it off, just that he'd used his super speed to do it.

She didn't like feeling so innocent and sweet all of the time, and while Damon often made her wonder things, he never made her feel stupid or less than powerful. In fact, it was thrilling knowing that she could drive him crazy with the simplest things. Like when she kissed the front of his throat, she could hear another threatening growl, and when she ran her fingers over his chest and down his stomach his muscles would tighten and his breath would catch. She was making all that happen, and had she not been so lost in the sensations he was creating for her, she would have taken more pleasure in torturing him further.

When her fingers felt his belt out of its hook and she began working the leather from the loops, his hand came down and clamped over hers, stopping her instantly. She looked up at him, wondering what it was he wanted from her, and why it wasn't what she so desperately couldn't live without. Wasn't this exactly what he'd been trying to do since they'd met? Wasn't this what he'd been asking for, dreaming for every night since he realized just how different things could be if she love him?

"What is it Damon, I thought this is what you wanted."

"I want you to tell me how you feel about me. And I want the truth."

"I thought you knew that better than me, isn't that what you said a few minutes ago. That I'm lying to myself?"

"Say the words Elena, just once let yourself feel it and tell me."

She looked at him, almost seriously, but her eyes still cloudy with lust. "Damon, don't ruin this. We're so close to finally being together."

"I won't let myself fall for you any deeper until you tell me that you love me."

She was silent for a few minutes, in one of the oddest positions she'd ever been in. The passion was beginning to slip away and with that the haze of comfortableness. She was growing aware of her half naked form and her hands that had been working his pants open. "Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone Damon, and make love to me like a normal man?"

"I'm not a normal man, you should know that."

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, and her emotions. "I'm not going to tell you I love you Damon. I'm not prepared for that, I don't think it would be fair to you if I said it when I'm not ready. I can promise that I will say it one day, but this moment is not it."

"I don't understand, you are willing to give yourself to me, mind and body but you won't give me your heart. The easiest thing of all to give."

Elena thought of all the people that she had loved, and how maybe loving them is what had gotten them killed or taken away from her. She'd almost lost Damon weeks ago, and though she realized that her feelings for him were stronger than she liked to admit, she wasn't ready to sentence him to another chance at death. If she told him she loved it, it would be like signing his death certificate for him. "I understand if you are angry at me," she crossed her arms over her chest and stepped back. "but I won't say it until I'm ready. If that's not good enough for you then maybe I should just go back into the house."

"No." he grabbed her elbows and held her still. "You don't get to just walk away from me like this." When it was obvious she wasn't going to leave he released her, running his hands through his hair. Why had he opened his mouth? Why couldn't he have just taken what she was prepared to give and let that be enough? "I love you Elena, and I know that deep down you love me too. It may take a little more time for you to realize it than it's taken me, but I promise you that you will say those words to me before the summer ends."

"Is that a challenge Salvatore?" she said, seeing the shift of emotion in his eyes. He had gone from pure passion, to desperation, to regret and back to lustful want. The tension between them was like a cocoon around her and she felt herself unable to resist him once more. She wasn't sure if that was love or not, but whatever she was feeling for him was intoxicating and just as quickly as she'd lost her moment of excitement due to anger and frustration, it was back again.

"If you want it to be. For now, I think we should pick up where we left off. I don't think I could spend one more minute in that house with you and not have you."

"For a boy raised on southern manners, you sure are direct sometimes."

"My manners only come out when they are needed, and right now I think you need a little less of the niceties. Isn't my…directness refreshing?"

"I do admit, it's exciting."

"Works for me." He smiled, almost smirked and pulled her back into his arms. "So where were we?" he still wanted to hear the words from her lips, but he knew that she loved him, and in time she would be able to admit it.

Right now, he could push past that and let himself just feel. There was no need to think or rationalize the emotions behind what they were doing. He could tell from the way she returned his kisses, the gentle, then rough and wild way she touched him that he was not the only one in love. When he laid her on the grass beneath the tree, and she sighed his name he knew he wouldn't have to wait much longer for her to come around. But, just as she was tired of fighting with herself about her feelings for the brothers, he was tired of arguing with himself about his need to be with her.

They both needed this time to just be with each other and maybe when they came out of it both their minds would be clearer. Damon kissed down Elena's stomach, lifting her legs up as he pulled her shorts off. When they were both bare, the sun beating down on them relentlessly, he bent over her and kissed her again. He captured all her murmurs and sighs, but when she moaned as he slipped into her, he broke the kiss, wanting to hear her.

There was nothing sweeter than her voiced laced with lust and pleasure forming his name. She tried to lift up and reach for him, but he kept her on her back, wanting to watch her face as he thrust into her, first painfully slowly, then almost inhumanly fast. She arched into him, the sun making her hair sparkle and her skin gleam. Normally he found that she looked like porcelain, almost whiter than he was, but now with her around him and under him she looked more delectable than he could stand. He knew he wouldn't be able to resist biting her much longer, and while her kisses tasted sweet, the vampire inside him was beginning to take over.

"I want to drink from you." He said, letting his tongue tease the skin between her neck and shoulder. She shivered against him, almost as if she was cold. He couldn't understand how that was possible, and he wondered if she was afraid.

He pulled back to look at her face, but she didn't seem scared. Her eyes were closed, but her expression was more excited than anything else. She tilted her face to the side, giving him more access to her pulse and the blood rushing through her veins. "Be careful." She warned, her voice breathless but still holding the tone that he'd come to find challenging. Had his rebellion not meant her death, he would have done it just to spite her.

But his love for her kept him from thinking too much with fangs, and he sucked at the spot for a few moments, listening to her sigh and feeling her hands clenching around his arms. "It won't hurt for more than a moment." He promised, knowing that if she looked at him, she would be able to see the darkened veins under his eyes and his fangs at the ready. Then, carefully and slowly, he sunk them into her skin, letting the first taste of her sit on his tongue. She was like liquid sunshine and something forbidden and he just couldn't understand how Stefan would chose saving him over staying with Elena.

He certainly couldn't understand not turning her to be sure that her taste would never be lost. But soon, he was unable to think, and he let himself enjoy her taste, knowing that soon he would have to stop.

She clung to him, her words almost unclear as he brought her up. Ironically, as he brought her orgasm rising, she continued to fall in love with him. He felt her tighten around him, heard his name fall from her lips and imagined the perfect bliss on her face as he brought her mind the peace she'd so desperately been needing. Her fingers tangled in his hair, but only for a moment, then they were all over him as she fought with herself, trying to touch him everywhere at once. He sensed her heart beat slow as the blood loss came to be too much for her body and he slowly pulled back a little, lapping at the wound. He knew he wouldn't get her to say those words today, but the look in her eyes when she finally opened them was enough for him. "Damon, you almost lost control with me." She said shifting her head slightly, trying not to wince too badly at the pain in her neck.

"I think I handled myself pretty well all things considered." He said, pressing himself up on his hands. There was still a dreamy look in her eyes as she came down from the heights he'd brought her too, both as a man and a vampire.

"What do I taste like?" she asked, touching his face for no other reason that she could now.

He thought for a moment, brushing her hair back from her face. Her skin was glowing and he wondered if it was from the sun, or if it was something he'd done. "Heaven." He answered finally and watched her smile. "There is no other way to describe it."

"Interesting." She said, relaxing against him when he settled on the warm ground beside her. She rolled toward him, their bodies touching from head to toe.

"And, what was I like?" he asked, letting his fingers run over her naked body, up and down.

"A rollercoaster." She laughed and hid her face in his shoulder. There were two drops off blood still on her neck from the mark he'd made and he found himself already hungry for another taste. Instead he scraped his fang along his tongue till he tasted his blood, then brought her lips to his for a kiss.

When he pulled back her wound had almost healed and he could focus on her again like a man and not a blood obsessed vampire. "I can't say that's the first time I've been told that." He said, flexing his abs before she could fist her hand. When her punch connected with him, he felt nothing but smiled anyway. "Babe, you know I'm hard as rock."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him onto his back, knowing that she couldn't have done that if he hadn't wanted her to. "Don't try and charm me into telling you I love you."

"It doesn't hurt to try." He said, resting his hands on her hips.

"Promise me you won't stop trying until I say it. I really want to, I just can't right now."

"I promise." He pressed her closer to him, letting their lips slide together, slowly at first and then just as before he could feel his control slipping away.

_a/n: ah, just another way that our couple could possibly get together. Hope you all found the imagery exciting and enticing. Hopefully with season three just around the corner my inspiration will come back in full force as it did in the past few months. As for now, I'm working on two more stories for Damon and Elena so keep your eyes open and check your email for notifications! Thank you for reading, and please please comment! _


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